翻译三级笔译综合能力分类模拟题12

翻译三级笔译综合能力分类模拟题12Ⅰ.Grammar:AdverbialClausesA、MultipleChoices1.

OnarainydayIwasdrivingnorth（江南博哥）throughVermont______Inoticedayoungmanholdingupasignreading"Boston".A.whichB.whereC.whenD.that正确答案：C

2.

Theseniorlibrarianatthecirculationdeskpromisedtogetthebookforme______shecouldrememberwholastborrowedit.A.eversinceB.muchasC.eventhoughD.onlyif正确答案：D

3.

Water,______itisgivenenoughtime,willdissolvealmostanysubstance.A.thusB.aslongasC.unlessD.incase正确答案：B

4.

Amanescapedfromtheprisonlastnight.Itwasalongtime______theguardsdiscoveredwhathadhappened.A.beforeB.untilC.sinceD.when正确答案：A

5.

Theyhadtoselltheirhouse______theycouldpayofftheirfather'sgamblingdebts.A.wheneverB.sothatC.unlessD.since正确答案：B

6.

TheWTOcouldnotliveuptoitsname______ithadnotincludedacountrythatishometoonefifthofmankind.A.evenB.whileC.ifD.eventhough正确答案：C

7.

Itisagrippingstoryandonecan'tputitdown______onehasfinishedreadingit.A.afterB.whenC.sinceD.until正确答案：D

8.

Ididn'trealizeshewasafamousfilmstar______shetookoffherdarkglasses.A.forfearB.untilC.becauseD.as正确答案：B

9.

______everyonecouldhearthenews,weturnedtheradiouptothemaximumvolume.A.NowthatB.InorderthatC.ThatD.Inorderto正确答案：B

10.

Doingyourhomeworkisasurewaytoimproveyourtestscores,andthisisespeciallytrue______itcomestoclassroomtests.A.beforeB.asC.sinceD.when正确答案：D此句中，whenitcomestosth.是一种特殊句型结构，意为“说到……”。

11.

Humanbehaviorismostlyaproductoflearning,______thebehaviorofanimaldependsmainlyoninstinct.A.whileB.soC.unlessD.that正确答案：A此句中，while引导状语从句，表示主句和从句内容的对比。

12.

Wehavereceivedsomanylettersforourpen-friends'column,anditmaybesometime______wecanpublishyourletter.A.afterB.whenC.beforeD.while正确答案：C

13.

Thesilkwormisananimalofsuchacuteanddelicatesensation______toomuchcarecannotbetakentokeepitshabitationclean.A.thatB.soC.asD.sothat正确答案：A句中用了such...that...结构。

14.

______yoursoniswellagain,younolongerhaveanythingtoworryabout.A.EvenB.ThoughC.WhetherD.Nowthat正确答案：D

15.

______thesunisgaseousthroughoutitsentirestructure,itappearstohaveadefinitesurfacewhenviewedwithasuitablefilter.A.EvenB.BecauseC.SoD.Although正确答案：D

16.

Somechildrenaremadaboutvideogames.Theyjustcan'ttearthemselvesawayfromthem______theystart.A.sinceB.onceC.evenifD.as正确答案：B

17.

I'mafraidthatyouarenotspendingasmuchtimepreparingyourlessons______youshould.A.ifB.whetherC.whenD.as正确答案：D

18.

Theengineersaregoingthroughwiththeirhighwayproject,______theexpenseshaverisen.A.justbecauseB.eventhoughC.nowthatD.asthough正确答案：B

19.

Donotshoutorplayyourradiotooloud______there'snobodyaround.A.nowthatB.orC.asifD.sothat正确答案：C

20.

______theUnitedStatesexportssometextileproducts,itimportsaswell.A.AlthoughB.AsifC.UntilD.Nowthat正确答案：A

21.

Allgasesandmostliquidsandsolidsexpand______theyareheated.A.soB.thoughC.whenD.incase正确答案：C

22.

Youshouldmakeitaruletoleavethings______youcanfindthemagain.A.whenB.whereC.thenD.there正确答案：B

23.

Purenaphthaishighlyexplosive______itisexposedtoanopenflame.A.ifB.beforeC.whereverD.sothat正确答案：A

24.

Gorillasareoftenquiet______theyareabletomakeabouttwentydifferentsounds.A.whenB.otherwiseC.becauseofD.eventhough正确答案：D

25.

Farmerscallthegrosbeakthe"potato-bird"______iteatspotatobeetles.A.althoughB.whyC.incaseD.because正确答案：D

26.

______shehasagoodsenseofbalance,shecan'tdancewell.A.InspiteofB.DespiteC.ForallthatD.Nomatter正确答案：C此句中，forallthat为关联词结构，引导让步状语从句。

27.

Ipromisedtomeethimthereinamonth,______Iwassufficientlyrecoveredtodoso.A.thoughB.sinceC.whileD.provided正确答案：D

28.

Inmyopinion,parentsdonotowetheirchildrenaninheritance,______howmuchmoneytheyhave.A.evenifB.althoughC.nomatterD.whatever正确答案：C

29.

Somewomenvolunteeredtodosomesocialservices,______theywantedtobeusefuloutsidetheirhouse.A.whereB.becauseC.incaseD.sothat正确答案：B

30.

Theproblemisthat,______childrenwhoaregivencow'smilkfrombirthbenefitgreatlyfromit,thosewhohaveneverdrunkitbyacertainagearenotabletotolerateit.A.becauseB.providedC.whereasD.though正确答案：C

B、ErrorCorrection1.

Althoughyou'vegotachance,youmightaswellmakefulluseofit.正确答案：Although→Nowthat

2.

Sinceyoucansee,we'vegotfivedifferenttypesofrecordersonshowhere.正确答案：Since→As

3.

Itwillnotbelongsincemancanharnessthesolarenergyandmakeitservemankind.正确答案：since→before

4.

Ithinkourboatcanpassthattreacherouswateruntilcautiouslyhandled.正确答案：until→if

5.

Scarcelyhadheclosedhiseyesaftersomebodystartedknockingatthedoor.正确答案：after→when

6.

Ifthesedifficultiescanbeovercome,furtherimprovementcanhardlybemade.正确答案：if→unless

7.

Youngscientistscannotrealizetoosoonthatexistingscientificknowledgeisnotnearlysocomplete,certainandunalterableformanytextbooksseemtoimply.正确答案：for→as

8.

Unlesshearrangeseverythingproperly,hecanhaveamorecomfortabletime.正确答案：Unless→If

9.

ScientistshaverecentlyarguedthatEinstein'scontributionstophysicsandmathematicsarelessimportantasNewton's.正确答案：as→than

10.

Advertisingisdistinguishedfromotherformsofcommunicationssothattheadvertiserpaysforthemessagetobedelivered.正确答案：sothat→inthat

11.

Weshoulddoourutmostotherwisewecanfulfilthetaskintime.正确答案：otherwise→sothat

12.

Batteriesmustbekeptindryplacesevenifthereshouldbealeakageofelectricity.正确答案：evenif→incase

13.

Thevolumeofthegasbecomesgreaterwhetherthetemperatureisincreased.正确答案：whether→when

14.

Onceitisnotthelargestoftheworld'soceans,theAtlantichasbyfarthelargestdrainagearea.正确答案：Once→Although

15.

Driedleavescontinuetohangonthebranchesofsomedeciduoustreesbecausethenewleavesappear.正确答案：because→until

Ⅱ.ClozeTestObesityGrowsDespiteDietstoCurbIt(Ⅰ)节食对肥胖无能为力(Ⅰ)

Americansaregettingmorbidlyfatterevenastheyspeeduptheireffortstoloseweight.

TheAmericanHeartAssociationhostedapanelFridaytotrytounearthwhatAmericanseatandwhat,exactly,iscontributingtotherisingtideofobesity.

Spurredbytheaggressivemarketingofdietsthatpromotefatovercarbohydrates,researchers

1

theMayoClinicdecidedtoseeifthesecampaignswereaffectingwhatpeople

2

eating.Aftersurveying1,200residentsofOlmsteadCounty,Minn.,theanswerwasa

3

yes.Between1999and2003,alargerproportionofcalorieswerecomingfrom

4

,saturatedfat,anddietarycholesterol.

"Thefindingsreversesomeofthetrendsseen

5

thepast20years,"saysleadauthorDr.RandalJ.Thomas.Thomasadds

6

thesefindings"suggestthattherearesometoughtimesaheadwithrespectto

7

disease."

Whilethepopularityoflow-carb,high-fatdietsmayindeedbebehindsome

8

thesechanges,Thomassaysmanyotherfactorscouldalsobecontributing.

Anotherstudy

9

anumberofcharacteristicsthatseemedtoberelatedtoconsuminglargerportion

10

amongagroupofpostmenopausalwomenwithtype2diabeteswhoweretrying

11

followtheMediterraneandiet.Thisgrouphasahighriskofdevelopingcoronary

12

disease.

Womenwithhigherincomes,educationlevels,andbodyweightandalower

13

tendedtoeatlargersizes.Also,largerportionsizeswerelinkedtolower

14

ofphysicalactivity,higher"bad"cholesterol,lessabilitytomanagestress,greaterdepression,

15

higherbloodpressure.

ResearcherKristieJ.LancasterofNewYorkUniversityfoundimportant

16

betweenethnicsubgroupsofAfrican-Americanswhoareusuallylumpedtogetherintermsof

17

.Non-HispanicblackswhowerebornintheUnitedStateshadahigher10-year

18

ofdevelopingcoronaryheartdisease(CHD)thanthosebornoutsidetheUnitedStates.

19

bornintheUnitedStatesalsohadahigherproportionofcaloriesfrom

20

andsaturatedfatandatefewerfruits,vegetablesandlegumes.Theywerealsomorelikelytosmoke.

"AllblackgroupsneedtoimproveindietandCHDrisk,"Lancastersays,"but,inparticular,African-AmericanshavegreaterneedswhenitcomestodietandCHDrisk,soweneedmoreinvestigationofthesegroups."1.

正确答案：at

2.

正确答案：were

3.

正确答案：resounding

4.

正确答案：fat

5.

正确答案：over

6.

正确答案：that

7.

正确答案：heart

8.

正确答案：of

9.

正确答案：found

10.

正确答案：sizes

11.

正确答案：to

12.

正确答案：heart

13.

正确答案：age

14.

正确答案：levels

15.

正确答案：and

16.

正确答案：differences

17.

正确答案：risk

18.

正确答案：risk

19.

正确答案：Those

20.

正确答案：fat

ObesityGrowsDespiteDietstoCurbIt(Ⅱ)节食对肥胖无能为力(Ⅱ)

Anationalsurveyof6,739adultsfoundthatabouthalffeltthat"dinner

21

notrightwithoutmeat."Meat,ofcourse,tendstohavemorefat,and

22

whoconsumemoremeattendtobeheavier.Lessthanathirdof

23

respondents(29percent)felttheyateenoughfruitsandvegetablesaccordingtothe

24

recommendedguidelines.

"Thisinformationcouldbeusedinthedevelopmentofnutritionalinformation

25

healthyeating,"saysAlisonJaneRigbyofStanfordUniversity.

Finally,anotherstudylooked

26

4,000participantsinfourcountries—China,Japan,theUnitedKingdomandthe

27

States—tofindassociationsbetweenweightanddietaryintake.

"Welookedat

28

whowerewinningthegameofweightcontrol,"saysLindaVanHorn

29

NorthwesternUniversity."Loandbehold,whatwedidfindisthat,withoutexception,a

30

complex-carbohydrate,high-fiber,high-vegetabledietwasassociatedwithalowbodymassindex."

High

31

,especiallyhighanimalprotein,dietswereassociatedwithagreaterbodymassindex."

32

associationbetweendietarypatternsthatareassociatedwithlowerbodyweightareconsistent

33

thosetheAmericanHeartAssociationhasrecommendedforyears,"VanHornsays.

The

34

weightlossmessage,asAHAspokesmanDr.RobertH.Eckelputit,is

35

,verysimplebutdifficulttoimplement.

Thatmessageis:takeinlessthan

36

giveout."Ithastobeamatterofenergybalance,"VanHorn

37

."Inourstudy,thehealthiestpeoplewereeatingthemostcaloriesbuthad

38

leanestbodymassindex,butthepointistobephysicallyactive.That

39

youthediscretiontohaveadditionalcalories.Youcangetawaywithmore

40

aslongasyou'reburningthemoff."21.

正确答案：was

22.

正确答案：people

23.

正确答案：the

24.

正确答案：government's

25.

正确答案：for

26.

正确答案：at

27.

正确答案：United

28.

正确答案：people

29.

正确答案：of

30.

正确答案：high

31.

正确答案：protein

32.

正确答案：The

33.

正确答案：with

34.

正确答案：overall

35.

正确答案：very

36.

正确答案：you

37.

正确答案：says

38.

正确答案：the

39.

正确答案：allows

40.

正确答案：calories

Ⅲ.ReadingComprehension

CounselingCheersDepressedHeartAttackPatients

咨询让压抑的心力衰竭病人振作起来

Psychologicalcounselingcanhelpheartattackpatientsdealwiththedepressiontheyoftenexperience,butitdoesn'timprovesurvivalorreducetheoddsofasecondattack,saysanewstudy.

Researchersreachedthoseconclusionsafterfollowingupnearly2,500heartattackpatientsfrom73hospitalsforanaverageof29months.TheypublishtheirfindingsintheJune18issueoftheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation.

TheEnhancingRecoveryinCoronaryHeartDiseasePatientstrial,fundedbytheNationalHeart,Lung,andBloodInstitute,wasconductedfromlate1996throughApril2001.Thepatients,averageage61,wereassignedtoa"usualcare"grouporaninterventiongroup.

Three-quartersofthesubjectshaddepression,withtheotherquartersufferingfromwhattheyperceivedaslowsocialsupport.Bothconditionsareassociatedwithhigherdeathratesandsubsequentheartproblemsincardiacpatients,previousstudieshavefound.

Anddepressioninheartattackpatientsiscommon,astheresearchersnoteintheirreport.About20percenthaveseveredepressionandanother27percenthaveminordepression.

Sotheresearcherssetouttofindwhethertreatingthatdepressionandimprovingperceivedsocialsupport—thepatient'sfellingthathecouldturntomanylovedonesforhelp—wouldreducethedeathratefromheartattackanddecreasetheriskofhavingarepeatattack.

Thoseintheinterventiongroup,besidesreceivingthesamecareasthe"usualcare"group,alsogotweeklyindividualcounselingsessions,sometimessupplementedbygroupsessions,designedtohelpthemstopnegativethoughtsandreducestress.Antidepressantswereprescribedtothosewhoneededtheminbothgroups,with20percentoftheusualcareand28percentoftheinterventiongroupusingantidepressantsbythestudy'send.

"Therewassignificantimprovementindepressionaftersixmonthsofcounseling,"saysSusanM.Czajkowski,aresearcherattheNationalHeart,Lung,andBloodInstituteandprojectofficerofthestudy.Thepatients'perceptionoftheirsocialsupportimproved,too.

Butattheendofthefollow-up,75.9percentoftheusualcaregroupsurvived,versus75.8percentofthosewhogotcounseling.

"Wearegoingbackandtakingagoodin-depthlookatthedata,"Czajkowskisays.Thelackofbenefitonsurvivalandsubsequentheartattackwasnotexpected,shesays.

Whydidtheusualcaregroupdobetterthanexpected?"Wesuspectthatthepatientsintheusualcaregroupmayhavegottensomecounselingontheirown,ortheirdoctorsmayhavereferredthem,"Czajkowskisays.And,shenotes,therateofantidepressantusewasfairlysimilarbetweenthetwogroups.

Buttheimprovementindepressionandsocialfunctioninginthosewhogotcounselingshouldn'tbedownplayed,shesays."Eventhoughtherewasnodifferenceinsurvival,wedidmakeadifferenceintermsofthedepressionandtheirsocialfunctioning,"shesays.

Thestudy,thelargestcontrolledtrialofpsychotherapyforheartpatients,isanaccomplishmentinitself,saysNancyFrasure-Smith,aprofessorofpsychiatryatMcGillUniversityandtheMontrealHeartInstitutewhoco-authoredaneditorialaccompanyingthestudy.

"Wemayneverknowwhethertreatingdepressioncanaffectthecardiacprognosis,"shesays."Thatisn'tasimportantasencouragingtrialstoimprovethetreatmentofdepression."

Whilemanydoctorsknowtobeonthelookoutfordepressioninheartattackpatients,Czajkowskiadvisespatientsortheirlovedonestobeawareofthesignsofdepressionandaskforhelp.Thosesymptomsincludeadowncastmoodfortwoweeksormore,lossofenergy,feelingsofworthlessnessandalossofappetite.1.

Theresearchers______andstartedsotudyproblemsassociatedwithdepressionandlackofsocialsupport.A.drewonpreviousfindingsandtheirownexperiencesB.believedcounselingcouldhelpimprovesurvivalrateincardiacpatientsC.wereencouragedbytheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociationD.gotsupportfromtwogroupsofpatients正确答案：A

2.

Thehypothesisfordoingtheresearchwasthat______.A.heartattack-induceddeathsandsufferingasecondattackarerelatedtodepressionandlackofsocialsupportB.doingitwouldsurelyhelpunderstandheartdisease-relatedissuesC.depressionandsocialsupportweresuretohavenothingtodowithheartproblemsD."usualcare"andinterventionweretwosidesofthesametreatmentstrategy正确答案：A

3.

WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueofthe"interventiongroup"?A.Individualandgroupcounselingsessionswereprovidedtothepatientsasneeded.B.Thepatientsreceivedthesamecareasthe"usualgroup".C.Thepatientssufferedlessdepressionthanthe"usualgroup"afterhalfayear'streatment.D.Thepatientsfeltthattheywereobtainingmoresocialsupportthanbefore.正确答案：B

4.

ThepassageindicatesthatCzajkowskihadexpectedthat______.A.bothgroupswouldhaveanequalpercentageinsurvivalrateB.nothingwouldgowrongwiththedataC.theresearchwouldrevealthedifferencebetweenself-counselingandexternalcounselingD.the"interventiongroup"woulddobetterinsurvivalrateafterthefollow-up正确答案：D

5.

Providingcounselingtoheartpatientsisbynomeansunimportantbecause______.A.itsomewhatimprovessurvivalrateinheartpatientsB.itencouragesandimprovestreatmentofthediseaseC.itimprovesthequalityoflifeinpatientsintermsofdepressionandcounseling'ssocialfunctioningD.itcautionsbothpatientsandtheirfamiliestoguardagainstdepression正确答案：C

DrugHelpsSmokersQuitandLoseWeight

药物帮助抽烟者戒烟和减肥

Forallthosesmokerswhowanttoquitbuthaven'tbecausethey'reafraidofpackingonthepounds,researchershaveexcitingnews.

Anewdrugcalledrimonabanthelpedsmokerskickthehabitandevenlosealittleweightintheprocess,accordingtoapresentationmadethisweekattheAmericanCollegeofCardiology'sannualmeetinginNewOrleans.

"Itisearly,butourfindingsareverypromising,"saysco-researcherDr.LowellDale,associatedirectoroftheMayoClinicNicotineDependenceCenterinRochester,Minn."Thismedicationreallyappearstohavethepotentialtoassistinstoppingsmokingandcontrollingweightwhilestopping,whichcouldsignificantlyreducetheriskofcardiovasculardisease."

ThefindingswereannouncedjustbeforeastudyintheMarch10issueoftheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociationreportedthatsmoking,obesityandasedentarylifestyleareresponsibleformorethan800,000deathsintheUnitedStateseveryyear.Tobacco,accordingtothereport,isthebiggestkiller,causing435,000deaths.

"Tohaveadrugwhichcouldgettotwoofthemajorlifestyleproblemsassociatedwithheartandvasculardiseasewouldjustbeincredible,"sayscardiologistDr.StephenSiegelofNewYorkUniversityMedicalCenter.

Dr.LaMarMcGinnis,aseniormedicalconsultantwiththeAmericanCancerSociety,agrees."Ifthisdrugdoeshaveminimalsideeffectsandconsequences,thenthebenefitscouldbeenormous."

"Weareexcitedaboutthepotentialforthis,butweareinawait-and-seemode,"headds,notingthatmoreresearch,particularlylong-termstudies,needstobedone.

Thecurrentstudyfollowed787smokerswhowere"motivated"tostopsmoking,accordingtoDale.They'dbeensmokingfor11to24yearsandaveraged23cigarettesaday.

One-thirdofthegroupwasgivenaplacebo,anotherthirdreceived5milligramsdailyofrimonabant,andthefinalthirdreceived20milligramsofrimonabantonceaday.

Treatmentstartedtwoweekspriortothevolunteers'quitday,andcontinuedforeightweeks.Theparticipantscouldn'tuseanyadditionalmeasurestostopsmoking—suchasnicotinereplacement,antidepressantsorbehavioraltherapy—duringtheclinicaltrialandinthethreemonthsleadinguptothetrial.

Almost28percentofthosetaking20milligramsofrimonabantwereabletostopsmokingduringthestudyperiod.Bycomparison,only15.6percentofthosetakingthelowdoseofrimonabantweresuccessfulintheirquitattempt,and16.1percentofthosetakingaplacebostoppedsmoking.

What'smore,thoseonthehighdoseofrimonabantmanagedtoloseslightlymorethanhaftapoundduringthestudyperiod,whilethosegivenaplacebogained2.5pounds.

Sideeffectsappearedtobeminimal.Themostcommon,accordingtoDale,wasnausea.

RimonabantisthefirstinanewclassofdrugsthattargettheEndoCannabinoidsystem,whichislocatedinthebrainandotherareasofthebody.Dalesaysthissystemisstimulatedbynicotineandpossiblybyovereating.Whenit'sstimulated,dopamine—aneurotransmitter—isreleased,causingfeelingsofpleasure,whichreinforcesthebehavior,hesays.

"Thisdrugblocksthissystem,sothatwhenpeopleeatorsmoke,theydon'tgetthesameresponse,whichtendstodecreasethebehavior,"Daleexplains.

Hesaystherearetwomoreclinicaltrialsinprogress,andayear-longtrialtoassessthelong-termeffectsofthemedicationisplanned.HesayshebelievesthemanufacturerofrimonabantwilllikelybegintheUSFoodandDrugAdministrationapprovalprocessbytheendofthisyearorearlynextyear.

Atthesameconference,Canadianresearchersreportedonatrialofmorethan1,000peoplewithbodymassindexes(BMIs)over27.ABMIabove24isconsideredoverweight.Thosewhotook20milligramsdailyofrimonabantlostanaverageof20poundsandmorethanthreeinchesofftheirwaistcircumference.Theyalsoloweredtheircholesterollevelsby25percentandtheirtriglyceridelevelsby15percent,thestudyfound.

Siegelsayshisbigconcernaboutrimonabantisthatyoumayneedtostayonitindefinitely,particularlyifyou'retakingitforovereating.

"Thelongandshortofitisthatthisdrugisextremelyenticingandthought-provokinginthermsoftheactualdrug,andintermsofhowsomeofourdependenciesdevelop,"saysSiegel.6.

"Packingonthepounds"inthefirstsentencemeans______.A.savingmoneyB.endingupinapolicestationC.costingextramoneyD.increasingweight正确答案：D

7.

Whatmightbethe"twomajorlifestyleproblems"thatDr.StephenSiegelmentioned?A.Cardiovasculardiseaseandsmoking.B.Smokingandobesity.C.Smokingandasedentarylifestyle.D.Heartandvasculardisease.正确答案：B

8.

Thepassageindicatesthat______.A.adailyintakeof5mgofrimonabantisnotsoeffectiveastakingplaceboB.themorerimonabantyoutake,themorechancesofquittingsmokingthereisC.thelongeryoutakerimonabant,themoreeffectiveitisD.takingadditionalmeasureswhiletakingrimonabantcanreducetheeffectivenessofthedrug正确答案：A

9.

Themechanismoftheefficacyofrimonabantisthat______.A.iteliminatestheEndoCannabinoidsystemB.itpreventstheEndoCannabinoidsystemfrombeingstimulatedC.itstopsnicotinefromcausingdopaminetobereleasedD.ithelpsreinforcepeople'sfeelingofpleasure正确答案：B

10.

Onepossiblesideeffectofrimonabantisthatit______.A.mightreducethecholesterolandtriglyceridelevelsinpatientsB.reducesthepatients'waistcircumferenceC.maycauseaddictiontoitD.maybethought-provoking正确答案：C

ImmuneTherapyMayHelpSomeHeartFailurePatients

免疫疗法也许能拯救有些心力衰竭的病人

byAmandaGardner

Somepatientswithheartfailuremaystandtobenefitfromtherapywhichmodifiesthebody'simmuneresponse.

AstudyintheJan.19issueofTheLancetfoundthatpatientswithnohistoryofheartattacks,aswellasthoseinamilderstageofheartfailure,hadareducedrateofdeathandofsubsequenthospitalizationswithsuchatreatment.

Butthenoveltherapyisfarfromhittinghospitalsordoctors'officesanytimesoon,expertssaid.

"Ithadabsolutelynoimprovementinthegeneralstudypopulation,"notedDr.NorbertMoskovits,directoroftheHeartFailureProgramatMaimonidesMedicalCenterinNewYorkCity."Thesubgroupanalysisismoreorlessawaytocomeupwithanewstudy.Iftheyshowimprovementsincertainsubgroupsthennexttimetheycanlookatthatinalargertrial.Youcannotdrawanyconclusionsfromthis,really.Itwasaverygoodtrialanditstillshowednothing."

AccordingtotheAmericanHeartAssociation,somefivemillionAmericanshaveheartfailure."Therearehalfamillionnewcaseseachyear.ItisthenumberonedischargediagnosisforMedicarepatients,"Moskovitssaid."It'sahugeproblem,andthat'swhyeveryoneislookingforanewangle."

Heartfailureiscommonlytreatedwithdrugs,includingACE(angiotensinconvertingenzyme)inhibitors,betablockersanddiuretics."Mostimprovepatientsurvival,symptomsandlifestyle,"Moskovitssaid.

Someexpertsbelievethatinflammationplaysaroleinchronicheartfailure.Logicwoulddictate,then,thatinterferingwiththeimmunesystemandrelatedinflammatoryprocessescouldimpactthecourseofthedisease.

Butinterventionsthathavetargetedspecificinflammatorycytokines(signalingchemicalscentraltotheimmunesystem)havenotmetwithmuchsuccess.

Thishasledscientiststohypothesizethataffectingtheimmunesystemmoregenerallymighthaveabenefit.

Thisstudyinvolvedmorethan2,400heartfailurepatientswhowererandomlyassignedtoreceivenon-specificimmunomodulationtherapy(IMT)oraplacebo.TheyalsohadleftventricularsystolicdysfunctionandhadundergonehospitalizationforheartfailureorIVdrugtherapyinanoutpatientsettingwithinthepast12months.

Inthiscase,IMTinvolvedtakingbloodfrompatientswithcongestiveheartfailure,exposingthebloodtooxidativestressfor20minutes,theninjectingthebloodbackintothemuscleondays1,2and14,andthenevery28daysforatleast22weeks.

"Certainbloodcellsinthesesamplesweremoreorlesskilledoffand,byinjectingthem,youattenuatetheimmuneresponse,"Moskovitsexplained."It'saverycumbersomeprocess."

Butafterameanfollow-upofmorethan10months,patientsintheIMTgroupshowedonlyan8percentreductioninriskofdeathorhospitalization,whichessentiallytranslatesintonodifference.

However,theresultsweremoreimpressiveintwosubgroupsofparticipants:Thosewithnoprevioushistoryofheartattackhada26percentreductioninriskwhilethoseclassifiedwithNewYorkHeartAssociationfunctionalclassⅡheartfailure-meaningtheyhadonlyslightormildlimitationsintheiractivities—hada39percentreductioninrisk.

Bothofthesesubgroupswereyoungerandhadlessseverediseasethantheentiregroupofparticipants.

TherewasalsoatrendtowardaloweringinC-reactiveprotein(CRP)concentrationsintheIMTarm.CRPisamarkerofinflammationandthisfinding,theauthorssaid,indicatesthattheconceptoftreatingheartfailurewithimmunomodulationisnotyetdead.

Butlong-termeffectsalsoneedtobeinvestigated."Byattenuatingtheimmuneresponse,doyousubjectpatientstoahigherriskforinfections,forcancer?"Moskovitsasked."Therearealotofquestions."

Moskovitsalsopointedoutthatmanytherapiesforheartfailurearecounterintuitive.Betablockers,forinstance,werethoughtformanyyearstobecontraindicatedforheartfailure.Similarly,amedicationtoimproveheartmusclefunctioninheartfailurepatientsendedupworseningtheirsurvival.1